Graduation ideas!

I recently went through the graduation ceremony process for my Master of Social Work degree. I don't actually finish class until July but it still felt like a sense of accomplishment! My friends and I decorated our caps for graduation but then didn't know what to do with them. So I thought of using a shadow box to display my cap, hood, and tassel. It turned out fabulous!! I love how my sorority bow peaks out underneath the cap. Now I will remember my accomplishments whenever I look at this shadow box!

Another idea I had for graduation was to give my friends journals to record their first few years in the field. I got this idea from a previous professor in my elementary education program. He stated its important for first year teachers to record their experiences and later reflect on what they have learned. I think this is true for any profession. I found these inspirational journals and used fun glitter stickers to personalize the front. I wrote a cute letter on the inside cover page too. 

Pallet Jewelry Organizer

Super easy DIY Pallet project. First I cleaned off the dirt with a dish cloth and water. I let it dry then I painted it. I used a white wash technique by adding 1/4 paint 3/4 parts water. I applied it with a sea sponge in a washing motion. I love the faded turquoise look. 

I bought white screw hooks at the craft store and drilled holes to make sure the hooks would screw in. I did put hooks all the way down one side because I knew I wanted to hang my scarves. I alternated the hook spacing to avoid my necklaces from tangling. 

I'm so in love with it! Now we need to find wall anchors for this pretty piece because she weighs about 50 pounds! Who makes a pallet out of oak anyway?! 

Wedding Invite Frame

All three Shade children got engaged in the same year and said their vows in the same year. However, every single one of our weddings were different and unique. I loved all three wedding invitations and tried to come up with a way to display them. I bought a 3 window 4x6 frame on amazon for $12 and took out the divider. I think the final product is so cute and personal. You can tell just by the invitations how different our weddings were, but we all had our family love in common. :) 

Perfect Hammock

I do not have two strong trees in my back yard so I thought my dreams of having a pretty hammock were over. I was talking to my mom about it and she suggested I use posts instead... duh! I did some research online and then the hubby and I headed to Lowes. Here is what you will need to make a post hammock set up:

* 2 eight foot 4x4 treated posts
* "Post Digger"- It's like a shovel with two blades on it
* 2 fifty pound bags of concrete
* measuring tape
* level
* 2 eye hooks, 3" long
* 2 s-hooks strong enough to hold a person

To position where you will dig the post holes- add 12" inches of the length of your hammock. This helps create the height you will need so when you lay in it your butt won't hit the ground. No one wants that!

You will need to dig at least 24" down, more if your soil is sandy. The hole should be at least twice the diameter of the posts, example: we used 4X4 posts so our holes were 8", if you use 6X6 posts you're hole will need to be 12".

Measure 12" from the top of the post and screw in eye hooks, do this before you set the posts in the hole.

Mix the concrete and water together one bag at a time and pour into the hole. Make sure your posts are level. Each hole should use one bag of concrete.

Make sure you let the concrete set over night (24 hours) other wise the posts may become crooked.

Put the s-hooks through the eye hooks and then hook on your hammock! YAY :)

The pillow I added is from Target and it was on sale! Also you can tell I'm planning another DIY project if you look carefully in the background. Pallets :) Enjoy your spring everyone!

Kitchen Chair Swing

About a year ago I found an old kitchen chair by someone's trash can and although it only had one leg left, I took it home with me. I swear Jared is sick of me filling our garage with such items, but you never know when inspiration can strike! 

Today I finally decided it was the perfect day to mess with the one legged chair. I knocked off the remaining leg which was very easy. I found some old hemp rope in the garage too. I put the two together and made a cute swinging chair in our back yard. It's perfect for reading outside on spring days like today :) 

If you find a chair that's not made of pretty wood- paint it a bright color! Pops of color will make the design even more whimsical. Now go outside and enjoy this weather!

 

Hanging Christmas Tree

All you need:

Sticks/twigs

Thick ribbon

Glue gun & glue sticks

Arrange sticks in the shape you want. Cut ribbon to the correct size and hot glue to the sticks. Let the glue dry before hanging ornaments. So simple and fun! 

Sharpie Shoes!

All you need is plain white sneakers, sharpies and maybe a glass of wine. 

I looked online for a fun template online. I had a mix of brand name sharpies and generics. The generics tend to bleed into each other a little more. It's a cool effect unless you use a dark color near yellow or orange because it looks brown. 

I love the way they turned out! The colors will look good with almost anything. This was an easy project that took about 2 hours to complete.